Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday constituted a Central Election Committee (CEC) that will make all the critical election-related decisions for the grand old party, news agency ANI reported. The new CEC has a total of 16 leaders including K C Venugopal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi, among others.


The development comes as critical assembly elections in states including as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh approach. The panel deliberates and finalises the candidate list for any parliamentary or state elections, including by-elections.


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Chhattishgarh leader TS Sing Deo and Uttar Pradesh leader Salman Khurshid were the new names in the list.


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The election committee also includes Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, and senior party stalwarts Ambika Soni and Madhusudan Mistry.


UP Minister Faces Flak Over Washing Hands In 'Argha' Of Shivling, Oppn Calls Him ‘Adharmi’ — WATCH The key panel also includes Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo, former Union Minister Salman Khurshid, Lok Sabha MP from Telangana Uttam Kumar Reddy, and Karnataka minister K J George.


Here's the full list:



  1. Mallikarjun Kharge

  2. Sonia Gandhi

  3. Rahul Gandhi 

  4. Ambika Soni

  5. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

  6. Salman Khurshid

  7. Madhusudan Mistry

  8. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy

  9. T S Singh Deo

  10.  K J Geogre

  11. Pritam Singh

  12. Mohammad Jawed

  13. Amee Yajnik

  14. P L Punia

  15. Omkar Markam

  16. K C Venugopal


Former Uttarakhand Congress president Pritam Singh, Bihar MP Mohammed Jawed, and Rajya Sabha MP Amee Yajnik, in addition to former MP P L Punia and Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Omkar Markam, have been named to the panel.